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BY JOHNNY NOVERA
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What Ilonggos must also tell our President
A YEAR ago, on Aug. 7, 2016, President Rodrigo R. Duterte made an exposé on national television of cities and municipalities and their public officials who were allegedly involved in the drug business and tagged Iloilo in his speech as the “most shabulized” city in the Philippines.
On Aug. 16, 2016 we came out with a stand in our column that “Our City Does Not Deserve the Shaming” and took strong exceptions for such a tag to a good-performing metropolis like Iloilo.
We listed international, national and regional awards that the City of Iloilo received during the incumbency of Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, including a personal recognition for him as “Top 5 – World Mayor 2014” from the City Mayor’s World Foundation. He is the only Filipino local executive that represented the Philippines in the finals.
As listed in our article, our city earned nine international Awards from various bodies and organizations, 23 national awards and 13 regional awards. We are very proud of Iloilo for this outstanding accomplishment during the incumbency of Mayor Mabilog and his good teamwork with the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
Many things have happened in Iloilo since the President’s exposé on drugs in August 2016.
President Duterte had referred to Mayor Mabilog before as the cousin of alleged top drug lord in the city, Melvin Odicta Sr., who was killed by unknown assassins on Aug. 29, 2016, together with his wife when they disembarked from a ferry at Caticlan port, coming from Metro Manila. The police never came to know up to now who murdered them.
Mayor Mabilog has long denied that he is a relative of Odicta or is connected with him in any way but our President appears to be not convinced of that up to the present.
Our city under Mayor Mabilog has been very cooperative in the campaign against drugs which is a top priority of the present administration. There are continuing education and rehabilitation programs for drug users since January 2017, partnered with skills and livelihood training sponsored by the city government.
As we say here again, the City of Iloilo does not deserve the shaming. Ilonggos must tell our President, especially for our kasimanwas or Iloilo public officials who have access to and have the ears of President Duterte.
Also, please tell our President that with the program implemented by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in cooperation with our police, plus the education and rehabilitation programs of the city with skills and livelihood training, we believe that we have now shredded that image of Iloilo as “most shabulized”, if there was indeed such a situation.
Even if we will have lesser addicts to contend with, we recommend that our drug education and rehab programs in the city must continue. (For comments or re-actions, please e-mail to jnoveracompany@yahoo.com)/PN
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